twinning on a budget

August 12, 2016 | circadee

Remember the beach cottage that we’ve slowly but surely been putting our mark on?

Today I’m sharing the kids space. It is a very simple white box that we filled in with a loose red & blue color scheme. I have to admit that this isn’t one of those spaces that is going to knock your socks off with ingenuity or a great before and after. However, it is totally functional and well received by its little guests.

I can assure that there is not a new piece in sight aside from the bedding, some of it anyway. Everything else was found, free or flea. Very easy on the pockets. The matching quilts are vintage and possibly my favorite find in the entire space. I always pick favorites. I found these at a Navajo estate last summer and just knew they were right for the space.

Who remembers This End Up from the ’80s and ’90s? These beds were bunked in my brothers’ childhood room and fortunately I come from a long line of hoarders so these solid wood beds are still going strong over 25 years later, ready for the next generation. The simple twin beds have classic lines that remind me of summer camp.

The dresser was another shabby vintage piece which I intended to paint but once we moved it into the space, the rusty-red color just worked with the quilts and the warm wood. Easy peasy.

The mirror brings a bit of beach cottage flavor to the space along with the adjacent oar wall. We originally planned for a standing closet here, specifically vintage blue lockers. As the space evolved and we saw how it was being utilized we found that we didn’t need to take up square footage with a closet. No one is staying in there long-term so oar hooks do the trick for the wanderluster.

Across the room, our little visitors can pull up a chair and page through a book or do a craft while they’re here. Our bigger visitors can use the small table between the beds as a nightstand. We’re versatile like that.

The cedar storage chest at the end of the bed is not permanent in this space. In fact, it sold shortly after I took these pictures. It was painted MMSMP farmhouse white and was just the right storage piece for toys or bedding at the foot of a twin bed. I think we’ll need to duplicate this look in the future because it worked well here.

We hung some simple thrifted, waffle texture curtains although I’m really on the fence with the length. I don’t want floor length in this room because of the little ones but this particular length feels like a bad tea length dress. It is just cutting the room’s height mid-calf. You know what I mean? I’ll let that evolve though, as I’m sure I’ll know the right textile when I see it, along with the art as I have a vision of more beachy/nautical pieces above the length of the beds.

That’s it! Welcome to the kids room at the cottage.

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beach cottage bedroom

February 19, 2016July 13, 2016 | circadee

Is it spring yet? The beach sure is lonely without you. I am counting down the days until the neighborhood is bustling again. As much as a I love a little wintertime solitude, I prefer the action that warm sunny weather brings to the sandy beaches. With that said, let’s check out a bright and cheerful beach cottage bedroom. Between starfish and vintage swimsuit art, it is just brimming with anticipation of summer!

If you are a regular around here, you probably remember that my folks bought a cute beach cottage about a year ago. We’ve been gradually making progress room by room. Each space was basically a neutral space that needed a punch of color and personality. The carpet is brand new so it wasn’t going. They also weren’t into painting as it was also recently done. The reality is that other time-consuming projects, like creating a bathroom, took priority. Basically we just pulled together a color palette and accessorized on a budget. To do that, we used a combination of salvaged pieces, vintage, second-hand finds plus new textiles and art. The color scheme is just so happy. Perfect for the beach, right?

Once upon a time, the headboard was in my bedroom. It’s a salvaged door which so happens to measure a short 60 inches – the same width as a queen bed. Years ago, I adorned it with driftwood, paint and starfish which are still fun.

Possibly my favorite part of the room are the swimsuit prints. These were very hard to find! We spotted them about a year ago at Bed, Bath & Beyond but were not ready to pull the trigger. Of course that was a mistake. Months later when we ready for art and agreed on the swimsuit prints, they were gone of course. Local stores were wiped out. Spoiler alert, after weeks of searching, I finally found them AND they were half price. Naturally, I also hoarded a set for myself because you never know when you’ll need vintage-inspired swimsuit art. These were the only two patterns available out of the original six or eight prints. Fortunately, the colors were perfect.

Those lamps are new-ish but found second-hand for mere dollars. Aren’t they perfect? The end tables are both painted in MMS milk paint, apron strings on the left & kitchen scale on the right. The kitchen scale drum table doesn’t actually belong in this room. It is one of a pair which are available for sale at West End Garage. Normally we have a coordinating chest on the right but this one looks pretty darn good there.

Let me divert your attention to the other side of the room. What was once two dusty old closets, is now a full bathroom. It is the tiniest full bathroom aptly named The Water Closet.

The closet space was the selling point on this old house but not for storing clothes. The house had all the space they were looking for in a beach cottage but just one bathroom which was a deal breaker. We stood in this very room when I had the bright idea that the side-by-side closets from adjacent bedrooms could be knocked out to make room for approximately a 30 square foot bathroom.

Now, I can’t take all of the credit. My dad is the plumber who masterminded the water closet complete with a pocket door. I will take credit for the pocket door actually. That was my idea.

To the left is the toilet and to the right is a shower stall.

Admittedly two closets were lost in the making of this full bathroom. However, we compensated with stand alone closets in each room. As it turns out an additional bathroom is strongly preferred over closet space in a beach house anyway.

Just three months until Memorial Day!

Source List

Bedroom

Bedding – Homegoods
Headboard – salvage
Tin Shelf – salvage
Night stands – vintage painted in MMSMP Apron Strings & Kitchen Scale
Lamps – estate sale finds
Curtains – thrifted
Top down shades – JCPenney
Swimsuit prints – Bed, Bath & Beyond (sold out)
Cedar Closet – vintage painted in MMSMP Artissimo

Water Closet

Towels – Homegoods
Shower Curtain – Homegoods
Tile – Home Depot ‘Noce’
Mirror – vintage
Rattan shelf – trash (no shame)
Rattan baskets – Homegoods
Plumbing – Marston Mechanical

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driftwood inspired wall

May 29, 2015July 29, 2015 | circadee

This was a totally fun and unique project to conceptualize and complete.

Probably because there was no right or wrong when coming up with the color combination for a driftwood inspired wall at the cottage. There were so many directions we could have gone in…

and we did. But here’s where we ended up…

The project began with raw pine tongue & groove boards installed over drywall.

I simply mixed up a quart of MMSMP Curio and poured it into a paint tray. I applied it to the wall using a foam roller.

You can see that one coat of Curio didn’t exactly provide even coverage in this case but it gets better as we go (as does my footwear). It’s safe to say that this is the “ugly phase” of this particular project.

Now for the “weathering”. I dry brushed Linen over Curio applying more in some areas and less in others to create some depth. I also used a little Grainsack.

Then we pondered the finish over the course of a few weeks. Did it need more color/lighter/darker/hemp oil? All of the above? Basically it was reading very flat at this stage so I went back through with Marzipan which is the closest color in the line to Linen and worked it in with a brush. That helped to add depth and texture. I even used a tiny bit of Schloss, which is more gray in color with a slightly green undertone.

Finally, I finished the entire wall with a light sanding and a coat of hemp oil. This really pulled it all together!

Attempting to mimic weathered wood that only nature can truly create was a bit challenging but like I said, there was no right or wrong! It’s only paint. A little bit of this, a lot of that, finish with hemp oil and voila!

We’re on the hunt for a nubby-textured, neutral slipcover for the wing back chair in order to cut down on the “Christmas in July” vibe that the vignette currently has. Yes, the console is painted in MMSMP Boxwood. Good eye!

Circa Dee

vintage inspiration for a modern lifestyle

cliffside cottage